Weekend DalesBus services in Yorkshire have now carried 500,000 passengers since management of the network by the Dales and Bowland Community Interest Company (D&BCIC) – a wholly owned subsidiary of the Friends of the Dales charity – began in 2007.
D&BCIC was established to keep Sunday and bank holiday buses running between Ilkley and Skipton after North Yorkshire County Council withdrew that contracted service. It now manages most bus services in the Yorkshire Dales on Sundays and bank holidays.
All of D&BCIC’s income is used to contract and publicise DalesBus services, with various operators involved in their delivery. The organisation is now calling for a more sustainable approach to its funding to enable those routes’ long-term continuation.
During the summer months around 12 services run on Sundays and bank holidays, with some continuing year-round. Two run on Saturdays. Improvements have been introduced during 2023, and the 2023-24 winter timetable will represent an uplift in provision compared to 12 months earlier.
D&BCIC says that over 40,000 journeys on the weekend network have been made in the last year, a figure that is higher than pre-pandemic numbers. The £2 Bus Fare Cap Grant scheme has driven usage, the organisation adds.
But despite the successful operation of DalesBus services, Friends of the Dales Chair Bruce Macleod cautions that without ongoing funding, future provision is “under threat.”
To that end, Mr Macleod has called upon North Yorkshire Council “to recognise the importance of Sunday bus services to the physical and mental health of the residents of North Yorkshire, especially young people for whom buses are often the sole means of rural transport.”
He adds that the local authority should “include financial support for a good daily bus service across the area in its new Local Transport Plan.” The DalesBus network is otherwise heavily dependent on short-term grants and donations. Support from businesses, organisations and individuals is also being sought to ensure continuation. Further information on that can be obtained via email.
Adds Vice President of Friends of the Dales Colin Speakman: “It is now high time for both the new North Yorkshire Council and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority to put their money where their mouths are, to ensure that DalesBus is put on a sustainable basis by providing support for what is a huge success story in the Yorkshire Dales.
